Military touts clean energy's role in national security, calls oil dependence a threat to peace

UNION COUNTY — The military, widely credited with creating global-positioning systems and the forerunner of the internet, is making a name for itself in another technology: clean energy.

Curbing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels has clear benefits in terms of climate change and air quality, experts say, but it also plays a role in protecting national security.

"Those wishing to do harm to the United States will hit us where we’re most vulnerable," said retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn. "We are addicted to oil."

McGinn has teamed up with Rear Adm. Neil Morisetti of the British Royal Navy to speak about the direct correlation between clean energy and national security.

On Thursday, Morisetti, who is his nation’s climate and energy security envoy, and McGinn, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy, a Washington nonprofit think tank, addressed the Republican Committee of Union County as part of a nationwide tour.

The threat that grows out of our reliance to oil isn’t something to take lightly, McGinn said. It’s also not an issue that can afford a partisan divide.

"This association of, ‘If you’re for clean energy you must be progressive, and if you’re for oil or gas you must be conservative,’ it cheapens and dismisses a real and serious threat," McGinn said to the gathering in Cranford.

The risk to national security is two-fold, the admirals said. The current dependence on fossil fuels could send the United States into more military conflicts, and it could result in a military weakened by its need for traditional energy.

Andy Smith, 36, of Summit, recalled the blaring noise and immense gas tankers necessary to operate generators when he served in Bosnia as an artillery officer.

"It’s pretty hard for a unit to stay hidden when a huge tank is driving in to juice up the generators," said Smith, who attended the discussion.

Those fuel tanker transports are also a target for roadside bombs, McGinn said.

"You’re exposing a lot of soldiers and Marines to attack ambushes on severely flammable and highly recognizable materials," he said.

A small portion of the military, about 10 percent, has introduced solar- and geothermal-powered generators to cut back on fuel transports.

The installation can reduce the need for diesel fuel by 85 percent to 90 percent, McGinn said.

It’s one of a number of newer technologies, along with the Navy’s bio- and algae-based fuels.

A glimpse into history illustrates the connection between military success and sustainable energy.

In World War II, Gen. George Patton’s troops ran out of fuel when trying to cross into France, Morisetti reminded the gathering.

And Germany’s fuel shortage is often cited as a prime factor for the Axis’ defeat.

Questions from the audience, which voiced overwhelming support by the end of the presentation, included how clean energy can catch on at home, where investors and consumers remain hesitant.

"In the U.K., my wife won’t even look at a car that doesn’t get 60 miles to the gallon," Morisetti said. "If the consumer demands it, the manufacturers will make it. The technology is there."